The Date
by MissMoony7
Summary: Trouble ensues when Ron asks out Luna on a date. Harry’s POV. RHr
1. Ron's Mistake

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing obviously. The whole Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K Rowling and not me. So don't sue :P

**Summary:** Trouble ensues when Ron asks out Luna on a date. Harry's POV. R/Hr

**AN: **This is my first fanfic, so please be kind with the comments! This isn't going to be long and I'll update whenever I get the chance. Read and review!

**---**

**Chapter One:**

_Ron's Mistake_

---

There were three things that Harry Potter hated most in his life.

1. Lord Voldemort

Well, that was a dead giveaway.

2. Snape

Another giveaway.

3. Ron and Hermione's constant bickering.

Now don't get Harry wrong. Ron and Hermione were the best friends anyone could have possibly wanted, but a day hasn't gone by without the two snapping at each other like a couple of turtles. They each had different personalities. Ron, redheaded and lanky, was obnoxious, while Hermione, bushy haired and bright, was a bossy know-it-all. But they did have one similar quality: their ability to not back down from a fight.

Harry shook his head as he heard the muffled arguing from the Gryffindor common room. Ron's heavy footsteps then proceeded up the staircase and into the boy's dormitory.

"Can you believe Hermione?" He said angrily and collapsed onto his four poster bed. "McGonagall's essay is due tomorrow and she won't let me see hers!"

Harry didn't like taking either side in their arguments.

"Here, you can borrow mine." He tossed him his own essay. The parchment was the exact number of inches McGonagall required for the essay, but written in a large, untidy scrawl. "Not as good as Hermione's, but it will do."

Ron forced a grin which ended up looking more like a grimace.

"Thanks, Harry. But I still don't get what Hermione's problem is!"

He sighed again. Ron couldn't go a minute without mentioning her name. Harry decided to leave the room before he could further listen to Ron's rant. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he could see Hermione in an armchair. Her hair looked bushier than Harry could remember and her cheeks were heavily flustered.

"Hello, Harry," she greeted once she had caught sight of him. "We should head to dinner now."

"Shouldn't we wait for Ron first?"

"Ron?" Hermione snapped. "No. I never want to see that insufferable prat ever again. Do you know what he did?!" She opened up her school bag and revealed a parchment torn in half. "He stole my essay when I wasn't looking! When I tried to get it back, it ripped!" She angrily poked her wand at the essay and hissed reparo. After the incantation was spoken, the parchment returned to its original condition: 16 inches longer than McGonagall required and written in tiny, minuscule handwriting.

"Er, sorry?" Harry whispered, not wishing to infuriate the brunette even more.

The door to the boy's dormitory creaked open and Hermione whipped her head back. "Quick, let's go!" She yanked Harry's robes and dragged him to the portrait hole.

But as Harry crawled through the portrait hole, he could hear Ron angrily slam the door shut.

---

Ron didn't come down for dinner.

Harry knew that Ron was angry with Hermione, but he thought that food would convince him from staying inside the dormitory all night. Ron was always well nourished because of the third and fourth helpings Mrs. Weasley fed him at the Burrow, and the ten course meals at the Great Hall. Harry stuffed a chicken leg inside his pant's pocket for Ron later.

Hermione wasn't herself at all during dinner. She snapped at anyone who spoke to her and constantly glanced at the doors, expecting Ron to enter some point or another.

When the Gryffindors returned back to the common room, Hermione bided Harry a fast goodnight before hastily retreating to the girl's dormitory.

"Ron," asked Harry, as he sat down on his four poster bed and began to loosen his tie. "Did you stay here all night?!"

Ron's bed curtains were closed. Harry yanked them open and was shocked to see the bed empty. "And Ron isn't here," he whispered, panic struck.

But the door to the dormitory softly creaked open, revealing a tall, lanky redhead. Ron's eyes were wide open in shock and his mouth was slightly ajar. He looked as if he were confunded.

"Harry, I-I-I--."

"RON!" Harry yelled. "Where did you go?"

"I-I-I--." Ron stammered.

"Was it Malfoy? What the hell did he do to you?!"

"I-I-I--."

"Should I get Hermione? She'll know what to do!"

This seemed to break Ron out of his trance. "No!" He whispered horrified. "She can never know!"

Harry blinked twice. This obviously wasn't the response he expected. "I don't understand."

"Harry, the most horrible thing in the world happened today!" said Ron frantically as paced across the room. "I don't know why I did it!"

"Wait, Ron. You aren't making any sense. Start at the beginning."

"Alright. Well, Hermione and I started fighti--."

Harry cut him off. "I already know that part," he said impatiently. "Start after we went downstairs for dinner."

Ron nodded. "Yes, well. After the two of you left, I realized that I was really hungry. But I wanted to avoid Hermione. So then I got an idea! I could go the portrait of the bowl of fruit, tickle the pear and the house-elves could give me something to eat."

"Yes. And then?" Harry asked.

"So that's what I did! After I ate dinner, I left and then I met up with --." He paused and whispered, "Loony Lovegood. She was so odd. She started rambling about Crumple-Horned Snorcacks, or whatever. I couldn't get her to shut up, so I just blurted something out."

Harry nodded, so Ron could go on.

Even though the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor boys were in the common room, Ron glanced behind his shoulder to see if anybody was listening. "I-I asked her out to the next Hogsmeade visit." He stammered.

There was long awkward silence. It ended when Harry busted out laughing. Tears were streaming down his eyes, as if someone shoved an onion in his face, and Harry felt as though his lungs were going to collapse. "Ha ha ha ha ha. That's the funniest thing since the boggart turned into Snape wearing a dress!" He choked out.

Ron threw a pillow at him. "Stop laughing." He hissed. "You gotta help me out of it!"

Harry's cackling ceased immediately. "Ron, you can't do that." Harry knew that Luna would be terribly disappointed if Ron broke the date. Maybe not as disappointed if she found out that Crumple-Horned Snorcacks didn't exist, but still disappointed all the same.

"But I have to! I don't want to date Loony, I mean Luna. She's not my type."

"And what exactly is your type?" asked Harry. Bossy, smart, and bushy-haired were words that sprang to his mind. Ron glared at him. "Fine, fine. You should just go out with Luna once. If you have a bad time, then tell her you'd rather stay friends. Who knows? You actually might enjoy each others company!"

"Yes, I think I will do that," whispered Ron. Before long, the rest of the sixth year boys began to shuffle into the dormitory, preventing Ron from saying any more. Harry stifled a snicker as he changed into his pajamas, causing Ron to shoot a dirty look his way. Harry shut the curtains closed, placed his glasses on the nightstand and laid his head on the pillow. He was exhausted after the long day and wanted nothing more than a deep slumber.

Soon the other boys climbed into their beds and the lights flickered off.

But Ron quietly broke the silence.

"Harry!" He whispered frantically to the bed next to his.

"Ron? What?!"

"I really don't know why I asked Loony out. Do you think You-Know-Who possessed me like he did to Ginny?!"

Harry rolled his eyes, fully aware that Ron couldn't see.

"Somehow I think Voldemort has more important things to do."


	2. Helpful Harry

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything.

**Summary:** Trouble ensues when Ron asks out Luna on a date. Harry's POV. R/Hr

**AN: **Thanks for the comments! Keep reading and reviewing. :

**---**

**Chapter Two:**

_Helpful Harry_

---

Harry nibbled on a piece of toast as he skimmed through a copy of the Quibbler. It was so entirely ridiculous that it was actually a fun read. The thought of Ron dating the daughter of the Quibbler's editor made Harry shake with suppressed laughter.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked suspiciously as she sat down on the seat next to him.

Harry tucked the newspaper into his schoolbag, knowing that its ideas about the whereabouts of the Crumpled-Tail Snorcack would annoy Hermione. "Nothing."

"Where's Ron?" She asked stiffly. Hermione and Ron hadn't spoken to each other for days ever since their recent fight. For example, if the trio was sitting together at the Great Hall [for Harry's sake, Hermione would tell Harry to pass the marmalade, even though Ron was right in front of it. Ron acted the same way.

"Ron's getting ready for his date."

Hermione started choking on her pumpkin juice. "Excuse me." She sputtered. "Ron has a date?"

Harry nodded and put his hand over his mouth to cover a smirk.

"With who?" She didn't sound shocked anymore, just flustered.

Harry stifled his snicker. "Luna Lovegood."

Hermione hurriedly opened her schoolbag and pulled out her day calendar. "Today isn't April 1st is it?"

"You don't believe me?" asked Harry. "Ron asked out Luna days ago. Sorry I forgot to tell you." He said quickly once seeing the annoyed expression on Hermione's face.

"Yes, well." She glared at him and stabbed the sausage on her plate with a knife.

"I hope you're not pretending that sausage is me," Harry couldn't help but say. "Or Ro--, oh look it's Ron." Harry pointed to Ron entering the Great Hall. Ron was wearing very muddy jeans from quidditch practice and a bright maroon sweater, hand knitted by Mrs. Weasley. Hermione abandoned her breakfast, pulled a book out, and began to read with her back toward Harry. Ron sat across from him.

"Oi, Harry! Meet me upstairs before Hogsmeade." Ron said.

Harry stared confusingly back at Ron. "Why?"

"Because I got an idea."

Harry nodded, but couldn't help but feel worried. Ron didn't usually have smart ideas. "Does it have anything to do with the date?" Ron nodded, but gave him look that clearly said to stay quiet. Harry hastily changed the subject. "I thought you hated maroon."

Ron grinned for what seemed like the first time in days. "I do. Maroon makes me look uglier then I already am."

"You're not ugly, Rom." A quiet voice said. Harry looked around in amazement and saw that it was Hermione who had spoken. She placed the book back into her schoolbag and walked away.

Ron's ears turned pink, something he usually did when he was embarrassed. Ron watched Hermione's retreating figure making her way out of the Great Hall. When he finally realized what he was doing, he coughed. "Er, I just thought that Loony wouldn't like it."

"Well, you're not being very fair to Luna." Harry pointed out.

"Shut it, Harry."

When they retreated back into the boy's dormitory, Harry asked Ron what his big plan was.

"Alright, Ron. What's your big idea?" asked Harry as rolled his eyes.

"You do know that Loony and I have nothing in common whatsoever." Ron pointed out. The idea of Ron being an avid Quibbler reader and obsessing about the Crumpled-Tail Snorcack was very amusing to Harry.

"Er, yes. I could've figured that out myself."

"I don't want to go on the date, but I don't want Loony to be upset either. I was nervous that maybe I'd be rude to her without even realizing it or laughing not with her, but at her. So then I got an idea. You could take the polyjuice potion, pretend to be me, and go on the date with Loony!"

"Are you insane?!" sputtered Harry. "Why would I do that?!"

"You're nicer to Loony than I am." Ron said simply as if that answer was obvious. "But it's not like we got any spare polyjuice potion lying around. Didn't it take Hermione—," he blushed at the sound of her name, "—a month to make?"

Harry sighed in relief. "Guess I lucked out."

"No, Harry. It then hit me: you can use your invisibility cloak and give me advice throughout the date!"

"Like what?" Harry asked loudly.

Ron hissed at him to be quiet. "Like tell me if I'm being too mean to her. Whisper compliments I can give to her. Kick me if I say something stupid. After the date, tell me how I can let her down easy."

"No, Ron. I have better things to do then help you impress Luna Lovegood."

"Not impress her! I don't like Loony that way. I want to be nice to her, without mistakably swooning her over."

Harry scoffed. Luna swooning over Ron was as likely as Hagrid snogging Aunt Petunia. "You're just doing this, so you won't be with Luna alone." He accused.

"Please! I thought we were best mates!" Ron pleaded.

"Alright, I'll do it!" Harry snapped.

Minutes later, the two hurried out to the entrance of the Great Hall. Harry, of course, was concealed in his father's old invisibility cloak. Luna approached Ron in very bright yellow t-shirt and maroon pants. Her large eyes scanned his appearance.

"It's good you're wearing maroon today," Luna's dreamy voice said. "Today is national Heliopath Day and maroon is a Heliopath's favorite color."

Ron's clothing choice had backfired. "Er," but before Ron could say anything, Harry saw Hermione walk up to Ron and Luna.

"Hello Luna, Ron." She said politely. "Have any of you seen Harry?"

"I bet he's frightened of Heliopaths. He's probably hiding in his dormitory room." Luna suggested seriously.

Ron started to snigger, but Harry punched him on the shoulder. "Ouch. Oh, er, he's somewhere with Ginny, I think."

"Oh," said Hermione.

There was an awkward silence. "So Hermione, what are you doing today?" asked Luna brightly.

"I'm meeting Ernie later."

Ron turned bright red. "What? Ernie Macmillan?!"

"Yes," she said coolly. "That's the only Ernie I know."

"You're going out with that oaf?" Ron sputtered. "Since when?!"

Hermione glared at him. "That is none of your business. And please don't call him an oaf, Ronald." She smiled warmly at Luna. "Have fun on your date."

"Bye. Happy Heliopath Day, Hermione!" Luna yelled, waving. Once she had left, Luna whispered. "I wonder why she wasn't wearing maroon." Ron looked like he was going to snidely retort something, but Harry kicked him.


End file.
